The State Minister for Finance, Amos Lugoloobi is a freeman after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) withdrew charges against him in the Karamoja Iron sheets scandal on Tuesday.
The Acting Principal Judge, Lady Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga, told court that the DPP had discontinued prosecution in the case which had come up for further defence hearing through a nolle prosequi, a legal notice signifying the state’s decision to discontinue prosecution.
“We have not proceeded because a nolle prosequi has been presented by way of termination of proceedings, having proceeded with the nolle prosequi, the proceedings stand terminated. I discharge him with immediate effect.” Justice Jane Kajuga ruled.
Lugoloobi was accused of having received 700 iron sheets meant for vulnerable communities in Karamoja and allegedly using them to roof an animal shed at his farm in Kayunga District.
The iron sheets were reportedly obtained in two phases between July 2022 and March 2023.
Following the dropping of the charges, Minister Lugoloobi who has maintained his innocence throughout the trial sung church hymns together with his family and friends outside the court.
“This is a very important and delicious day in my life and I can’t believe this, and I want to sing to the Lord” he exclaimed before breaking into a gospel hymn praising the lord together with his group.
While addressing press, Lugoloobi decried the conditions of the prison cells he was detained in noting that he has been terribly depressed since June 2023 when the matter came to court.
“I was jailed in a terrible police cell at Kira, smelly as it was, very poor conditions, I was taken to Luzira despite presenting so many sureties, we did everything so that I couldn’t go to Luzira, eventually I went to Luzira, there has been a lot of suffering in this matter but I thank God, there’s nothing that comes without God” he said.
He added, “He might have taken me to Luzira to learn certain things, that as a government policy maker, there are issues to handle in Luzira, in police cells, there’s a lot we can do and as planner for this government, such lessons are very important and we need to do something about the suffering, human rights issues in some of these places that we need to handle, I think that’s why God Decided that I should go there”.
Lugoloobi further noted that his arrest and incarceration over the Karamoja iron sheets is being used by his political opponents to sabotage him in the ongoing campaigns calling him an iron sheet thief.
“Yet actually am not a thief, iron sheets were allocated to me by the state which state was now taking to me court, I had no knowledge whatsoever that those iron sheets belonged to Karamoja, they were given to me through all the necessary procedures” he said.
The Karamoja iron sheets scandal erupted in 2023 after it emerged that relief items meant for vulnerable communities in the region had been diverted to senior government officials. Alongside Lugoloobi, Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu and State Minister Agnes Nandutu were also charged.
Nandutu’s case is expected to resume in December 2025, while Kitutu’s trial has been delayed following allegations that she was tortured while in custody.
